Fairy Tale
by Lorena1
Summary: * CHAPTER 7 UPLOADED * What if Sydney and Vaughn had known each other since they were little kids? This is their story. Kinda AU.
1. Almost Twenty Years

Fairy Tale  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own them. If I did, I wouldn't be writing this, now would I?  
  
Summary: What if Sydney and Vaughn had known each other since they were little kids? Kinda AU; set after Danny is killed by SD-6.  
  
Category: Romance/General  
  
Rating: PG-13 (could be R in future chapters)  
  
Distribution: Anywhere, just let me know first.  
  
Author's note: This is my first fic ever, so please be kind. Positive reviews and constructive criticism are very welcome. Also, note that cursive means one of the characters is having a flashback. In this fic, Sydney and Vaughn are the same age, ok? Just to fit with the story. Oh, and one more thing, just imagine that Vaughn didn't take Sydney's statement when she went to the CIA headquarters for the first time. They never saw each other.  
  
**********  
  
Chapter 1: Almost twenty years  
  
"Are you sure you want to do this?" My dad asked in a serious voice.  
  
Did I want to do this? Of course I did. SD-6 had killed my fiancé. I wanted revenge. No, I needed revenge.  
  
It had been four months since I had lost Danny. After finding out the truth about SD-6, my dad had wanted me to leave the country, so that I would be safe. I, however, had only one thing on my mind: revenge. That's why, after winning over Sloane's trust again, I decided to become a double agent working for the CIA.  
  
Today was my first day as a double agent. My father had explained all the risks involving the life of a double agent, but I didn't listen. Like I said before, I was determined to bring down SD-6. At first, my dad had not been very keen on the idea, saying that my feeling towards Danny were clouding my judgment, but eventually he gave up and gave me his 'blessing' to become a double.  
  
"Dad, we've been over this a hundred times already." I replied, looking at him confidently. "I'm doing this."  
  
He just nodded, keeping a blank expression. He had become pretty good at that since my mother died when I was an eight year old kid. Any attempts to make him smile after that had been futile and soon I learned that my happy father had died that night too. I had lost both of my parents.  
  
"Alright, Sydney. If this is what you want." He trailed off and switched into mission mode. "You will have a meeting with your handler at 1000 hours to become acquainted with him. You will share information about SD-6 with him and will discuss your next mission. He'll give you a counter-mission and the technical equipment you'll need to complete it successfully. Do you understand?"  
  
"Yes, dad. Do you know who my handler is?" I asked, curious as to why he hadn't mentioned his name. It was very unlike him to leave out things like these.  
  
"I do not know him. Devlin chose him yesterday and I didn't get a chance to talk to him about it." He explained.  
  
"Oh." Was all I could say.  
  
An uncomfortable silence filled the room. I wasn't used being around my dad, let alone sharing things with him. I barely knew him. I mean, yeah, sure, he was my father, but in that moment I realized how much of a stranger he really was.  
  
"You should go, Sydney. It won't be a good if you're late."  
  
"I'll see you later, dad."  
  
That said, I got out of the car and walked towards mine. I read the note he had given me much earlier to check the address. I was supposed to meet my handler at a warehouse close by.  
  
**********  
  
"Mike, where are you going? We have a lot of paperwork to do." Agent Eric Weiss complained. "You can't just take off like that."  
  
Agent Michael Vaughn smiled.  
  
"I've been assigned as a handler."  
  
"A female agent?" Weiss asked hopefully.  
  
Vaughn just shrugged, "I have no idea. I'm supposed to meet Devlin right now." He checked his watch, "and I'm already late, very late. So if you'll excuse me."  
  
Vaughn grabbed his coat and headed straight to Devlin's office. He didn't need to knock. The door was open and a flustered Devlin was standing next to it.  
  
"You're late." He stated.  
  
"Yes, sir, I am. It won't happen again." Vaughn promised.  
  
Devlin eyed him carefully, "Make sure it doesn't. Here's the file on the new agent you'll be handling."  
  
Vaughn took the file and opened it. What he saw took him completely by surprise. Sydney Bristow was staring back at him. Of course she looked much older than the last time he'd seen her. At first he didn't believe his eyes, but when they landed on the name, he knew he was right.  
  
Devlin seemed to notice the agent's surprise.  
  
"Do you know her?" He inquired.  
  
Vaughn simply nodded, not taking his eyes off the picture, drawn to her beautiful brown eyes.  
  
"How long has it been since you last saw agent Bristow?"  
  
Vaughn looked up and met Devlin's gaze, "Almost twenty years, sir. Almost twenty years."  
  
**********  
  
TBC  
  
Author's note: So tell me, did you like it? Did you hate it? I thought about having Vaughn and Sydney meet without neither of them knowing who the handler and the agent were, but then I thought 'that's a little unrealistic, at least the handler should know something about the agent he's going to handle'. Don't you agree? Anyway, I'll try to post the next part soon, which will feature the reunion. Please, review and let me know what you think. Oh, and remember, the beginning is always a little slow. It will get much better. 


	2. And We Meet Again

Chapter 2: And We Meet Again

Author's note: Thank you so much for your reviews. You have no idea what they mean to me. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Remember, _cursive means one of the characters is having a flashback. Oh, and like I said in the summary, this is kinda AU so some of the 'facts' are not accurate, alright? I've altered them to fit with my story._

**********

As Vaughn walked to the parking lot, he recalled his conversation with Devlin. At first, Devlin hadn't been thrilled to know that he knew agent Sydney Bristow. However, Vaughn managed to convince him that it really had been a long time since he had last seen her. In fact, he added, he wasn't even sure she'd remember him at all. Of course Vaughn secretly hoped that she would remember him. He remembered everything about her. How her face lit up when she smiled, the way her brown hair shone under the sunlight, how she could be so determined and passionate about things… and her eyes, her beautiful brown eyes.

He sat in his car and carefully flipped through the file. Her whole life was written in those pages. He wished he had more time, so he could read Sydney Bristow's life and remember every detail about her. However, he knew that he was already running very late. She'd probably be mad at him. 

He wondered how she would react to him being her handler. Would she just shrug it off like it was no big deal? Would she be happy to see him again after all these years? He hoped it was the latter, but then the goofy grin that had been plastered on his face faded. Even if she did remember him and was happy to see him again, they could never have a real relationship. It would not be just about breaking protocol, but it could also get them killed. He'd had the time to read about Danny, Sydney's fiancé, and how SD-6 had murdered him. That much he knew. 

As he was nearing the warehouse, where he was supposed to meet Sydney, he remembered the first time they had met. They had been both seven years old. Vaughn had recently moved from France, after his father had died. His mother had driven him to school that morning. He'd walked in, feeling very nervous and anxious, and having trouble finding Mrs. Mathews' class. When he'd entered the classroom, the kind teacher had suggested that he sat next to Sydney.

_"Hi, I'm __Sydney__." The little girl with shiny brown hair said._

_He smiled shyly, "I'm Michael Vaughn. I just moved here."_

_"I know. Where did you live before?" She asked interested._

_"__France__." Michael replied, "In __Toulouse__. It was very pretty there."_

_Sydney looked at Mrs. Mathews, who was currently writing something on the chalkboard. _

_"Why did you move here then?"_

_He looked away, "My dad died a couple of months ago and my mom thought it would be a good idea to come live with my aunts."_

_"I'm sorry." She said sincerely and secretly thanked God for letting her have both of her parents._

_Suddenly, Michael seemed to cheer up a little. _

_"My dad worked for the CIA. He never told me, but I bet he was a spy." He stated proudly._

_Sydney's eyes lit up, "That's awesome. I wish my dad did something like that. All he does is work for some stupid software company all day and go on business trips."_

_"I'm gonna be exactly like my dad when I grow up and everybody's gonna call me 'Agent Vaughn'." He said excitedly, "You can come to my house someday and we can play we're both spies. I'll be agent Vaughn and you'll be agent… what's your last name?" He asked._

_Sydney smiled, liking the idea tremendously, "Bristow. You'll be agent Vaughn and I'll be agent Bristow."_

_They grinned at each other already looking forward to their little game._

The memory brought a smile to Vaughn's face. He stopped the car once he'd reached the abandoned warehouse and scanned the place. He thought it was a little cliché to held a secret meeting there, but it's not like he could go against Devlin's orders and besides, they couldn't meet in a public place either so this warehouse would have to do.

He walked over to the door and opened it carefully, trying to avoid making any noises. He didn't want to startle Sydney. His eyes searched the place, which was very dark, except for a dim light in the center. He didn't see Sydney until he got there. She was standing with her back at him not looking at anything in particular. He swallowed a lump in his throat and took a step forward making a faint noise this time so she would turn around.

Sydney turned around slowly and saw someone standing there. My handler, she thought. She couldn't quite see him yet so she took a step forward, just like Vaughn had done seconds ago. 

When she saw him clearly, thanks to the dim light, she gasped and her hand went to her mouth. It couldn't be, could it? It had been almost twenty years. For all she knew, this man could just look a lot like him, but when he continued to walk and was close enough to her, she knew she couldn't be mistaken. She'd know those eyes anywhere. They drew her in.

"Michael?" She asked tentatively in a low voice.

Vaughn broke into a huge grin, "Hello, Sydney… and we meet again."

**********

TBC

Author's note: I was planning on writing the talk between them and all that, but I thought it would be more… interesting if I left things like this. Don't kill me please. I promise I'll post the next chapter soon. Please, review this story. I'm not gonna threaten you saying that I won't post the next chapter if I don't get ten reviews, but it would be nice to know that you're reading my story. If you want to e-mail me you can do it to: l_aliaga@hotmail.com 


	3. Old Friends

Chapter 3: Old Friends

Author's note: First of all, I want to thank you all for your wonderful reviews. They really are amazing and inspiring. One of you reviewed the last chapter, saying how you couldn't picture Vaughn telling Sydney 'and we meet again', which was also the title of the chapter. All I can say is that there's a reason why he says that specific sentence, ok? Just bear with me for a while. Another reviewer noticed a few typos here and there. Well, that's because English is not my first language so if any of you would be willing to be my beta I'd really appreciate it. I know I need one. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review. ;)

**********

Sydney couldn't believe Michael Vaughn was standing in front of her. He was the last person she would have expected to see now. She wanted to close the space between them and hug him. Hug him for all the years that they had been apart. However, something held her back from doing that. A little voice inside her head was telling her that she should hold back. So, instead of hugging him, she broke into a huge grin that matched his.

"I can't believe this." She managed to whisper.

"Me neither." He answered looking straight into her eyes.

She remembers me, he thought happily. Now he realized how unrealistic his worries had been. Of course she would remember him. They had been friends for years. It would be extremely rare if she didn't remember him at all. He mentally chuckled. He felt as if an enormous weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He fought an internal battle with himself. He wanted to hug her so badly and to tell her how much he'd missed her all these years, but, like Sydney, something was holding him back. Perhaps it was this new handler-agent relationship?

They stood in silence for a long time, staring at each other, not believing that they had been reunited after all those years. It was Vaughn who looked away first. Sydney followed shortly after. 

"I missed you, Syd." He said looking up. The words were out of his mouth before he even knew it. His emotions had won over his better judgment. 

There, he'd said it. He waited patiently for her response. He knew she'd missed him too. There was no doubt about it. He could see it in her eyes.

"I missed you too, Mike." She said fighting the tears that were threatening to fall.

And that was it. Before any of them knew it, they were in each other's arms, in a fierce hug. Sydney buried her head in his chest, breathing in his scent. It had been too long. Too damn long, she thought. Vaughn slowly caressed her back, drawing small circles. 

They stayed like that for a while, not wanting to let go, but knowing that eventually they'd have to. Sydney disentangled herself from his embrace and took a step backwards. He did the same, trying to hide the disappointing look on his face. 

They both had a lot of questions to ask. They wanted to know everything about the other. However, it wasn't the right time now. 

"I wish we had more time. I want to know everything that's happened to you since you left." Vaughn said. "There's nothing in this world I'd rather do than that." He smiled sadly, remembering how they used to talk when they were little.

She looked at him, making eye contact again. "I know."

Memories of their talks as kids flashed before her eyes and she had to suppress the urge to cry.

_"Do you think she's watching over me right now, Mike?" Syd asked him, sobbing._

_He took her hand and looked at her in the eye._

_"Of course she is, Syd." He told her gently, "Just like I know my dad is looking over me right know."_

_She smiled at him, trying to stop the tears from falling._

_"Thank you, Mike." She said honestly._

_They both sat in comfortable silence, thinking about their deceased parents, and at the same time grateful because they had each other to lean on for support.   _

"Sydney?" Vaughn asked in a barely audible voice, regretting already what he was about to tell her.

"Yes?" She replied absently. 

He sighed, "The handler-agent protocol… it… we can't be seen together in public."

"I know, Michael." She acknowledged sadly.

An awkward silence filled the warehouse. Neither of them knew what to say or how to act around each other. Well, they knew what they wanted to do and say, but that would have to wait. This was a business meeting as much as they both hated it. Vaughn was the first one to approach the subject.

"Who would have thought that we would actually become spies working for the CIA, huh?" He said, willing the tension between them to disappear.

Sydney let out a little laugh, "You always wanted to work for the CIA, remember? It's no surprise for me."

He smiled, "I guess. It feels as if we were playing that 'spy-game' we used to play when we were kids, remember?"

"How could I forget, 'Agent Vaughn'?" She replied mockingly.

"Hey, don't laugh at that! People at the office do call me agent Vaughn." He said, pretending to be offended.

And suddenly it felt as if they were children again, plotting their next mission and getting ready to pull it off.

_"Mike, you there?" __Sydney__ asked over the walkie-talkie, tucking her long hair behind her ears._

_A slightly annoyed voice answered, "It's agent Vaughn. How many times do I have to tell you that, agent Bristow?"_

_"I like Mike better." She said, imaging just how flustered he would be by now and laughing silently._

_"Just keep your mind on the mission, alright?" He said softly, showing her that he really wasn't mad at her._

_"Maybe we should have code names." She suggested, watching as the subject moved around the house._

_"We'll talk about that later, ok?" The annoyed voice, which __Sydney__ found really cute, was back._

_"Fine." She agreed reluctantly. "The subject is leaving the kitchen." She informed him._

_"Ok. You go ahead and retrieve the package, agent Bristow. I'll keep an eye on the subject."_

_"Copy that, agent Vaughn." She smiled as she slipped soundlessly into the kitchen, looking forward to getting her hands on those delicious cookies._

"Sydney?" Vaughn's voice brought her back.

"I was just remembering our 'missions'." She explained, a smile touching her lips.

Vaughn laughed. He treasured those times as well.

"Speaking about missions…" he began, not really wanting to talk about it.

That got Sydney into full mission mode.

"Yes, Sloane, the head of SD-6, wants me to go to Madrid, Spain, to retrieve a file located in Mr. Deza's mansion. I'm supposed to go as Ms. Maria López, a wealthy woman, and snick into Mr. Deza's office during a party tomorrow night." She explained, not leaving anything out.

"Did Sloane tell you why he wants this file?" He asked.

She shook her head, "No, all he said was that this file was of extremely importance to SD-6."

Vaughn studied the situation for a moment.

"Alright. Then I want you to take several photographs of this file. An agent will be waiting for you at the airport when you come back to receive these photos. He'll be dressed as a clerk at gate 15B. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Vaughn." She said, stressing his last name.

Vaughn gave her a lopsided grin, which she found adorable.

"Ok, then. I guess I'll see you when you come back." He said, wishing he had something else to tell her so she would stay.

"I'll see you when I come back, Michael."

And she turned to leave the warehouse.

"Syd." He called out her name, "Just… be careful out there."

She smiled, touched by his concern, and walked away.

**********

Author's note: Ok, so this chapter was longer than the previous ones, but I don't think any of you will mind ;). This was a very difficult chapter to write because there were so many emotions I wanted to put into words so please tell me what you think. Did it make you cry? Did it make you laugh? Did it make you wish you were Sydney when Vaughn hugged her? Yeah, I bet it did. Lol. I'm not sure if I made Sydney and Vaughn justice. I mean, they hadn't seen each other for almost twenty years. As always, comments and suggestions are very welcome and you can also send me feedback at: l_aliaga@hotmail.com  


	4. Memories

Chapter 4: Memories

Author's note: As always, thank you so much for your reviews. They make my day, really, and they also encourage me to write faster. Hope you enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review. J

**********

After her meeting with Vaughn, Sydney drove home to pack her things for her trip to Spain. She hadn't been to Spain in a very long time. It was a beautiful country, specially in the summer. Most people in Europe went there to spend their holidays because of the sunny weather.

It had been exactly eleven years since she had left that country. When she was twelve, her father had been transferred there. At first she had complained endlessly to him, but she had quickly come to realize how useless it was. So she gave up. They had lived there for six years. When Sydney had been ready to go to college, her father had requested to be transferred back to the United States.

She threw some clothes into her bag, not really caring about what she'd wear there. In a matter of minutes, she was done. Her mind traveled back to her meeting with Vaughn, still trying to absorb everything that had happened.

She was brought back to reality by a soft knock on the door.

"Come in." She said, knowing already who it was.

"Hey, Syd." Francie greeted her, "Another trip for the bank?" She asked looking at her bag.

Sydney nodded, feeling awful for having to lie to her best friend.

"Uhm, yeah, the bank wants me to go to Miami. We have a client there, who has requested our services immediately." She explained, tucking her hair behind her ears.

Sydney turned around to grab some files, but they fell from her hands. 

Francie eyed her carefully, "Are you ok? You seem kind of… I don't know, kind of weird."

"I'm fine, don't worry. It's just that.. well, I ran into an old friend today. I hadn't seen him for a long time and I guess that I'm still surprised we ran into each other. That's all." Well, at least, she didn't have to lie about that. She just hoped Francie wouldn't ask any questions. 

"Do I know him?" Ok, no such luck.

She shook her head, "No, we met when we were… younger and like I said, we haven't seen each other for a long time." She wasn't ready to talk about it with Francie yet.

Francie seemed pleased with her answer, "Alright, then. It's just… you seem odd today." 

Sydney was touched by her friend's concern, but it was beginning to annoy her. Was it just her or was Francie starting to sound like Will? She felt instantly bad for thinking that.

"Anyway, I was about to go buy some groceries and I was wondering if you needed anything." Francie said.

"No, I'm good, thanks."

Francie smiled and left the room.

Sydney was left, once again, alone in the room. She still had some time to kill before going to the airport to catch her flight. Suddenly, she got an idea. She went to her closet and started looking for it. It had to be there. After a couple of minutes, she found what she was looking for. She took the small wooden box in her hands and sat on her bed. There, in big red letters, was written 'Syd and Mike'. My box of memories, she thought. She took the cover off and carefully emptied the contents.

There was a picture of her and Vaughn hugging each other and smiling brightly at the camera, showing proudly their missing teeth. Sydney remembered when this picture had been taken, right before her mother's death.

_"Syd, honey!"__ Laura Bristow called out her name._

_Sydney and Michael were hiding in the backyard, behind a big tree._

_"Mike, do you think she's noticed the missing cookies and the broken jar?" She asked nervously, thinking about their last mission._

_"I don't think so, and if she has, she doesn't sound upset about it." He said. "Maybe we should go in and see what she wants."_

_"Yeah, you're probably right." She reluctantly agreed. _

_Both kids left their hiding spot and walked to the house._

_"Hey," Laura greeted them, "I've been looking all over for you. What have you been up too?" She eyed them suspiciously._

_"Nothing."__ They instantly replied, grinning._

_Laura smiled, "Ok, I just wanted to take your picture. I realized that I've never taken any pictures of you two together."_

_They both liked the idea. These were the times they'd remember forever. Michael hugged __Sydney__ and she returned the hug. Laura took her camera and told them to smile._

_1, 2, 3.__ Click._

Sydney smiled at the wonderful memory. She put the picture aside and grabbed some paintings Vaughn had made. They were 'blueprints' of both of their houses. She looked at them and remembered how Vaughn always gave her blueprints so that they'd carry the mission successfully. That was another happy memory. Then she grabbed the letters he had written her after she'd left. Sydney felt a tear make its way down her cheek and instantly wiped her face. She treasured those letters. Next to the letters was a neatly folded paper. She carefully unfolded it. It was the poem he had written for her when she left. She could still play their goodbye scene so clearly in her mind.

_Sydney was looking out the window, waiting for her dad to tell her they were ready to go. Michael hadn't shown up yet since lunch and that was starting to unnerve her. She wouldn't leave without saying goodbye to him first._

_Suddenly she felt a presence behind her. She didn't have to turn around to know who it was._

_"The back door was open." He explained._

_"I thought you weren't coming back for a moment." She told him quietly, ignoring his previous sentence._

_Sydney__ turned around and saw him standing a few feet away from her. She sat down slowly and motioned for him to do the same._

_He looked at her in the eye, his green eyes full of sadness, an exact reflection of her own, "I'll always come back for you, Syd."_

_He took her right hand and squeezed it gently._

_"I won't be gone forever, you know." She said, not breaking eye contact._

_"You better not." He tried to make a  joke and failed miserably. "I have something for you, Syd."_

_Sydney smiled sadly, "You didn't have to get me anything, Mike." _

_"Actually, it's something I wrote." He explained._

_He took a small folded paper from his pocket and handed it to her. She was about to open it, but his hand stopped her from doing that._

_"Read it later, please." _

_She just nodded._

_"Thank you." She said with complete sincerity._

_"__Sydney__!" She heard her father's voice calling her, "It's time to go."_

_She saw him coming down the stairs with their luggage. He told her that he would be waiting in the car._

_After her father had disappeared through the front door, __Sydney__ turned her attention back to Michael._

_"I guess this is it." She stated the obvious, swallowing the lump in her throat._

_Michael pulled her into his arms and hugged her. They stayed like that for a moment, unaware of anything else surrounding them._

_Sydney__ disentangled herself from him very slowly. The fight was over. The tears were running now freely down her face. Michael was trying hard not to cry. He wanted to be strong for her. He looked at her brown eyes and wiped away some of her tears. He slowly bent his head down and kissed her softly. It was their first kiss. He pulled away reluctantly and so did she._

_"We'll meet again, Syd." He promised and she believed him._

_"I love you, Mike." She said looking down and quickly up to meet his eyes._

_He smiled, "I love you too, Syd."_

_They hugged each other one more time and then she was gone._

Sydney thought about how cruel life had been to the both of them. She thought about how ironic this whole situation was. She was going back to the very same country that had taken her away from him in the first place. Would she come back? 

She placed the items back in the box. She stopped when she got to the poem and traced her fingers over Vaughn's handwriting. She read it silently.

'Notre amitié

Le jour qui a passé,

Les personnes que nous avons connues,

Nos amis sont devenus.

La semaine qui a passé,

Les problèmes que j'ai eus,

Une amie les a résolus.

Le mois qui a passé,

Les larmes que j'ai versées,

Une amie les a sechées.

L'année qui a passé,

Le bonheur que j'ai senti,

Je l'ai partagé avec une amie.

C'est la vie que j'ai passée,

Avec une amie à mon côté.'

Sydney could just picture Vaughn reciting the poem to her, even though he'd never done it. She had read the poem for the first time, when she had arrived to her new home in Madrid. There, in the loneliness of her new room, she had read it several times, memorizing every single verse. Each time, more tears would fall, but she didn't care. They had written many letters to each other during the first two years, but then, they had lost contact with each other. She had moved to Barcelona and he had moved to San Francisco, both unaware of where the other was. It was their sad story. It was as if destiny had conspired against them, preventing them from finding each other.

Finally, Sydney closed the small box and put it in her closet. She checked her watch. It was time to catch her plane. She took her bag and exited the house. She was only going to be away for a couple of days. She kept repeating that thought over and over again. Then, why did it feel like she was never coming back? I have to get a grip, she told herself, I am coming back.

**********

Author's note: Hi again, so what did you think? I know it was sad, but keep in mind that the fluffiness will come later on. Oh, BTW, the poem was written by me a couple of years ago and I thought that it fit perfectly with the story. Anyway, the next chapter will have some action. Don't forget to review please.

Lorena J 

_   ___


	5. A Pleasant Surprise

Chapter 5: A Pleasant Surprise

Author's note: Ok, as always, I want to thank you for the wonderful feedback. They make my day. Oh, there's some Spanish here, just so you know, but the sentences aren't really relevant. I just wrote them to make this whole thing more realistic, so don't worry if you don't understand. Don't forget to review, please.

**********

Madrid hasn't changed much, Sydney Bristow thought as she got out of the car.

She tipped the man, thanking him for opening her door and made her way to Mr. Deza's mansion. Sydney couldn't help the stares she was getting from the male guests. Her long red dress left very little to the imagination. Her back was completely naked to the eye and the beautiful dress clung perfectly to every curve. Sydney couldn't help but wonder, once again, why Sloane insisted on her wearing this sort of dresses. Wasn't it the point, after all, to avoid drawing any attention to herself so she could pull this mission off successfully?

"Buenas noches, señorita." A short man greeted her, "¿Podría darme su nombre, por favor?"

Sydney smiled, "María López."

The man checked his list, until he finally found her name.

"Adelante, por favor." He allowed her entrance. "Que tenga una velada placentera."

"Muchas gracias." She said with a perfect accent. After all, she had lived in Spain for six years.

Inside, several couples were dancing, while others were talking cheerfully in small groups. She eyed the crowd carefully, trying to ID Mr. Deza. It didn't take her long. She easily recognized him from the picture Sloane had shown her. He was a tall man, in his late forties, probably.

"Dixon, I've located Mr. Deza. When will he begin his speech?" She asked quietly over her com.

"In about an hour." She heard Dixon's voice.

Sydney would steal the file during Mr. Deza's speech. She needed to get into his office in the third floor, but, in order to do that, she had to deal with four guards first. Meanwhile, Dixon would tap into the security cameras, but the problem was that he wouldn't be able to keep an eye on her, so she would be on her own. Then she would use one of Marshall's little toys to open the door and once inside, the safe too. Sydney smiled, when memories of Marshall's last 'speech' came to her mind.

_"Hello, how's everyone?" __Marshall__ asked, "Ok, good. Uhm, did anyone watch that documental about lions the other day? It was good… very good actually. They showed the lions eating and sleeping and running freely and doing all sorts of things… no? Oh, well, uhm, Ms. Bristow, this…" He showed a small mirror, which almost slipped from his hands, "looks like a regular mirror, right? Ladies use it when they go out, 'cause they want to look pretty and this is very helpful, right? I'm not saying you're not pretty, Ms. Bristow, because you are…yes, uhm, well… my mom used to have one, although I don't remember exactly what color it was, and my sister too, I think…" He trailed off after seeing Sloane's murderous look._

_"__Marshall__…" Sloane's patience was wearing off. _

_Sydney__'s lips curved up a little and she tried to suppress a laugh._

_"Yes, uhm, well you just put this little mirror next to the door, like this." He motioned how to do it, "And to open the safe you do the same… and there you go." He finished proudly._

Sydney glanced around the place, pretending to be looking for someone. She didn't want to start any sort of conversation with anyone right know. She checked her watch. Thirty minutes to go, she thought to herself. Suddenly she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She turned around to tell the person politely that she was expecting someone, but when she did, she found herself staring into the eyes of Michael Vaughn. What was he doing here? This was not part of the plan. He looked incredibly sexy wearing a black tuxedo and with his hair slightly tousled.

"¿Le gustaría bailar, señorita?" He asked her in a loud voice.

She nodded her head, accepting his invitation. He leaded her to the dance floor, just when a slow song was beginning to sound in the background. Sydney disconnected her com so Dixon wouldn't hear their conversation.

"What are you doing here?" She demanded to know, "You can't be here."

He gave her one of his disarming smiles, "Devlin sent me. Apparently, this file's importance is greater than we thought." He explained, "Your counter-mission has changed. You still need to recover the file, but, instead of taking pictures of it, you'll give us the file and we'll give you a fake one. I'll go to your hotel room later to pick it up and give you the replacement."

"Won't Sloane notice that I've given him a fake one?" She barely managed to get the words out, because, after explaining the situation to her, Vaughn had pulled her body closer to his.

"No, he'll think Mr. Deza, being as paranoid as he is, somehow placed a fake file to deceive him." He said, drawing small patterns in her bare back.

Sydney was losing it. How much more of this torture could she handle?

"Besides, Syd, we wouldn't do anything to risk your safety." He whispered huskily in her ear. 

She nodded her head, not trusting her own voice. Just then, the song ended and Vaughn pulled away.

"Muchas gracias por el baile, señorita. Espero que nos volvamos a ver." 

***********

Sydney waited for Mr. Deza to begin his little speech. Many guests were gathered in the center of the room, talking to each other and drinking champagne. It should start any minute now, she thought to herself.

Just as she'd finished that thought, Mr. Deza appeared in the room and made his way to the front. The guests stopped talking and turned their attention to the man. 

"Dixon, I'm going in." Sydney said over her com.

"Ok, just a sec… ok, go. You have five minutes." He told her.

Sydney smiled at the guests as she disappeared from view. She left the room carefully, making sure nobody saw her. She took the stairs and got to the second floor. There were only two guards, which were chatting together not really paying attention to their surroundings. There's probably nothing of value here, she thought.

She got to the third floor successfully, not making any noises. She peeked in and saw four armed guards. Two were at the beginning of the corridor and the other two were close to Mr. Deza's office. She took a moment to think how she would do this. There was no chance in hell that she'd be able to take down the first two guards without being noticed by the other two.

She opened her purse and took her lipstick out. She threw it away carefully so it would land on the second floor. The guards closer to the stairs heard the faint sound of something making contact with the floor and looked at each other confused. One of the guards keeping an eye on the office's door motioned with his hand for them to go and check it out.

Once the guards were out of sight, Sydney made her presence known and approached the guards.

"Disculpe señorita, pero ésta es una zona restringida." A beefy guard stopped her. "No puede estar aquí."

Sydney gave them a confused smile, "I'm sorry, I don't understand. I was just looking for the bathroom. I think the food wasn't…" She bent down, as if she was about to throw up.

One of the guards was quickly by her side, trying to help her. Sydney took this opportunity to kick him in the stomach. The man landed on his butt and instantly fell unconscious. 

The other guard showed her a knife and slowly approached her. Sydney tried to kick the knife out of his hand, but she had no luck. The man punched her in the face and attacked her with the knife. She was able to get away at first, but he managed to stab her in the back. Sydney groaned loudly.

"Ok, now I'm upset." She said through clenched teeth, getting ready to kick his ass.

The guard smiled at her smugly.

He never saw it coming. Sydney kicked him in the face and then in the stomach, sending him straight to dreamland.

She checked her watch and cursed silently. She had lost two precious minutes. She ran to the office's door and quickly took the mirror out of her purse. She put it next to door and waited for a few moments. The door opened soundlessly and she stepped inside, closing it behind her. Just in case somebody came looking for her, that would slow them down and it would give her time to find an alternative escape route.

Her gaze wandered around the room, looking for the safe. She checked behind the paintings first, thinking about how cliché that was. When she found nothing, she went to the bookcase to look behind the books. She found a small safe and instantly put the mirror next to it. The safe took a minute to open and once it did, Sydney wasted no time. She took all the files out and looked for file 6. Once she was done, she closed the safe.

"¡Está allí, en la oficina del señor Deza!" The guards tried to open the door unsuccessfully.  

Sydney searched for an exit, but didn't find one. Her eyes landed shortly on the window and she smiled.

"Dixon." She called, "I can't leave the room. There are guards outside. I'm gonna jump out of the window. Wait for me there."

"Sydney, you're in the third floor." Dixon's disapproving voice replied.

Sydney sighed, "It's the only exit, Dixon. Just wait for me there."

She opened the window, grateful and surprised at the same time that it didn't have any bars, and prepared herself to jump. She silently prayed for her safety and, just as the guards came crashing through the door, she jumped.

**********

Author's note: I hope you liked this chapter. I'm not really good at writing action scenes so just bear with me here. Anyway, the next chapter will be all about Sydney and Vaughn, so don't worry. Oh, I almost forgot… somebody asked me if I could translate the poem Vaughn gives Sydney. The truth is I've tried but for some reason I can't. I mean, it's not the same, so just so you know, the poem is about friendship and friends being there for each other during the happy and difficult times, which I think best describes their relationship as kids, you know. Anyway, don't forget to review and if you have any suggestions about what you'd like to see in the fic just tell me and I'll be more than happy to please you guys. 

Lorena


	6. Midnight Rendezvous

Chapter 6: Midnight Rendezvous

Author's note: Hi guys. I'm so sorry this chapter took longer than the others. It's just that I've been very busy with school and everything. I swear, sometimes I really hate real life. LOL. Anyway, as always, thank you so much for your reviews. I love them!!! Keep them coming. Oh, I wanna clear up something about flashbacks. For those of you who ere slightly confused: they DON'T follow a chronological order. I forgot to mention that. That's why there's a flashback where Vaughn is comforting Sydney about her mother's death and in the next, Sydney's mother is alive. 

Ok, now, about the poem. I want to thank Jacey925 for translating the poem for me. Really, thank you so much Jacey. I appreciate it a lot. You'll find the translation at the end of this chapter. 

**********

Sydney opened the door of her hotel room and stepped inside. She had no idea how she'd managed to jump out of that window without breaking any bones. Dixon had been waiting for her and was incredibly relieved after making sure that she was alright. 

She closed the door behind her and tossed her purse aside. Taking a look at the room, she noticed the décor. The walls were painted green, but it wasn't the nauseating kind. There was a double bed in the right corner with two nightstands next to it. One of them had a phone on it and they both had simple brown lamps that matched the green shade of the walls perfectly. Then, on the other side of the room, stood a medium-sized dresser and next to it was the door that lead to the small bathroom.

Sydney opened the door to the bathroom and looked at the woman staring back at her in the mirror. Her hair was a mess and her eyes had black circles under them. She turned to take a look at her back. The wound had stopped bleeding a while ago, but it still hurt like hell. It wasn't too deep so, hopefully, she wouldn't need any stitches. 

She was about to take her dress off so she could take care of her back, when there was a soft, almost tentative knock on the door. Of course Sydney didn't need to ask who it was. She already knew.

"I thought you'd show up later." Sydney told him after he'd stepped inside.

He checked his watch, "It's midnight already. I thought you'd like to sleep before going back to L.A. tomorrow."

"Oh." She managed to say.

She watched him closely. He wasn't wearing that sexy tuxedo anymore. Instead, he'd changed into more comfortable clothes. His hair was still tousled, but for some reason, Sydney thought it had looked better earlier. Or maybe it was just her imagination playing games on her. Still, to say he looked good was an understatement.

He handed her a file, "This is the replacement you'll give Sloane tomorrow." 

"Right." She said, still thinking about how good he looked. Why was he affecting her so much? "I'll get you the file."

She turned around to grab the real file, but her movements were stopped by Vaughn's soft, yet demanding voice.

"What happened to your back?"

He reached out to touch the cut and she winced at his touch. It was funny how his warm hands could ease and strengthen her pain at the same time.

Sydney shrugged it off like it was no big deal, "One of the guards had a knife. It's not deep, though. It'll probably heal in a few days."

"Let me take a look at it." Vaughn took a step forward.

She was about to tell him that it really wasn't necessary, that she would clean the wound later and that he should just go in case someone, namelessly Dixon, came to her room, but something prevented her from doing so. She wanted… no… she needed to feel his touch. What was happening to her? He's just Michael Vaughn, she kept telling herself. However, she wasn't too convinced of that herself. He wasn't just Michael Vaughn. He was the guy who had always been there for her as a child, the person she had always been able to count on, her first kiss… Her first kiss. She tried to sing her mantra over and over again in her head, but it was useless. Even though it had only been two days since they had found each other again, it felt like they had never been apart to begin with. They felt at ease with each other, like they had, when they were kids.

"You're right, it's not too deep, but it still needs medical care." He agreed.

Sydney felt his hand leave her skin. He disappeared into the bathroom only to return, moments later, with a first aid kit. 

"Let me take care of this." He wasn't asking her permission. "Here, sit." He motioned for her to sit on the bed.

He carefully rubbed the small cotton ball against her skin to disinfect the wound.

"Damn. That hurts." Sydney moaned.

She closed her eyes, willing the pain to go away. Suddenly, she was assaulted by the memories. Memories of a distant and wonderful past.

_"I told you not to jump, Syd."_

_"How was I to supposed to know I'd land on my arm?" She snapped and rubbed her arm._

_Michael came closer and took a look at it, "I think it's broken."_

_"No kidding." She said and groaned at the pain._

_"We have to get you to the hospital." He told her softly, not knowing what else to do. "Let's go to my house. My mom will drive us."_

_She felt a single tear fall from her eyes, followed by more._

_"It hurts." She sobbed, "It hurts a lot."_

_"I know, Syd. Here," He took off his jacket, put it around her injured arm and tied it behind her neck, to keep the arm in place. _

_"That should help 'til we get to the hospital." He offered._

_"Thanks, Mike. I'm sorry I snapped at you." She apologized._

_He smiled and looked at her in the eye, "Don't worry."_

_Michael wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and took her right hand to lead her back to his house. _

My guardian angel, Sydney thought to herself after the memories slowly faded away. 

Vaughn tried not to think about how soft her skin was or how he wished he could be that cotton ball. He kept telling himself that this was strictly professional, that he would have done the same had he had another agent to handle. He fought the urge to kiss her pain away, specially after hearing her soft moans. 

After he was done, he slowly traced his index finger along her bare back, having lost his internal battle.  He could have sworn he heard Sydney moaned his name, but he couldn't be sure. Maybe it was all starting to catch up to him. He started to rub her skin in a circular motion, drawn to the flawless flesh.

Vaughn's soft hands were driving Sydney insane. She closed her eyes and a sigh escaped her lips. This couldn't be happening. This shouldn't be happening. He was her handler after all. This went against protocol. 

Vaughn's caresses eventually subsided and Sydney felt suddenly very cold and alone.

"Thank you." She could barely get the words out. 

He smiled, unaware of the effect he had on her, "Anytime."

Silence filled the room. Neither wanted to break the spell that had descended upon them. Sydney knew that it probably wasn't the best time to discuss their current situation, but it wasn't like they'd have a chance in L.A anyway, so she made the first move.

"I hate this." She said out of the blue.

Vaughn frowned, "Excuse me?"

She got up from the bed and started pacing.

"I hate this." She repeated. "Michael, we haven't seen each other in years and now… now that we have finally found each other again… we can't even talk like normal people do. I hate this. I wanna be able to talk to you, I wanna know everything about your life, I want you to know everything about my life. There's so much I'd love to tell you. I… I… I hate this." She finished exasperated. 

He looked at her and for a moment he didn't know what to say. Of course he wished things could be different. He, too, wanted to be able to be seen with her in public, to tell her about his life, to rebuild their friendship…

"Syd," Her name sounded like a whisper, "You know I want those things too. Do you think I like this situation? Do you honestly believe that this isn't affecting me? I want to be friends with you again, believe me. I hate this too. I hate protocol because it forbids me to establish a real relationship with you. I don't want to have to settle for those clandestine meetings at the warehouse, I don't want to have to look away if we ever encounter each other in the streets, I don't want to talk to you only about your counter-mission… I… you know that. You know me." His voice sounded defeated.

She looked up and met his intense, piercing emerald eyes.

"This is just… too much." She added, her voice tired.

He sighed, "We'll find a way to… to be friends again. We'll make time to talk about our lives, even if it's just for a minute during our meetings. Syd, this is hard for me too."

"Maybe we can start slow." She offered, "Like you said, we'll make some time to get to know each other again."

He smiled, "Of course we will, Syd." And he meant it.

They both let out a breath they didn't even know they'd been holding. They had discussed their current situation and somehow, that tangible tension between them had dissipated a little, at least for now. They both knew how the other felt and were incredibly relieved to find that they shared the same feelings. They wanted to be friends again, to talk to the other about everything, like they used to when they were kids, they wanted to share each other's company.

Vaughn took Sydney's hand in his and squeezed it lightly. She looked at their joined hands and smiled. Maybe it was going to be alright. Maybe they could have some sort of relationship together… as friends of course.

"You should go." Sydney told him after a moment of comfortable silence, pulling her hand away from his, "It's dangerous for you to be here. You never know who'll show up. Dixon is in a room near so…" She didn't get to finish the sentence.

He smiled again, "I know."

Sydney grabbed the original file and handed it to him. For a moment, their fingers touched and they both felt the spark. Maybe someday they could be more than just friends, but for now, they'd have to settle for a friendship.

"I'll see you back in L.A." Vaughn told her and then he disappeared from view.

"I'll see you back in L.A." Sydney said into the empty room, her eyes looking at the spot where he'd been standing just moments ago. And suddenly, she felt cold and empty again. She was missing him already.

**********

Author's note: So, did you like it? Don't forget to review please. And now, the poem's translation:
    
    Our Friendship
    
    In the days that passed, 
    
    The people who we knew, 
    
    Became our friends. 
    
    In the weeks that passed, 
    
    The problems that we had, 
    
    Were solved by a friend.
    
    In the months that passed, 
    
    Tears fell, 
    
    And a friend was there. 
    
    In the years that passed, 
    
    The happiness we felt, 
    
    We shared with our friends. 
    
    It's the life we had

With a friend by our side. 


	7. Back In LA

Chapter 7: Back in L.A

Author's note: I'm so so very sorry I took this long to post this chapter. I swear, I've been so busy lately and I had writer's block. Hopefully, I'll be able to post more frequently now. Anyway, don't forget to review and please, if anyone has any ideas about where you'd like to see this story go, tell me. 

**********

"You still don't know why Sloane wanted this file, do you?" Sydney asked her handler.

Vaughn shook his head.

"They're still working on it. We still don't know why Sloane wanted this file so badly. There's just a list of names, which we already knew were there. Until we find a connection… Once we do it'll be much easier." He explained.

They both remained silent for a moment just enjoying each other's company. Sydney looked around. This time they were meeting in the park. She was sitting in a small bench, wearing her sunglasses and holding a bottle of water. It was pretty hot out there. Vaughn was next to her, pretending to be looking for someone.

"How's your back?" He asked, the concern evident in his voice.

Sydney smiled a little, "Much better, thank you. Francie doesn't think so, though. She saw me the other day… I made up a story, but she was worried about it."

Vaughn turned his head to look at her for a moment and frowned.

"Who's Francie?" 

"She's one of my best friends and also my roommate. We met a few years ago. She's really nice. You'd like her." She stole a glance at his direction and quickly looked away.

Vaughn smiled, "I'm sure I would."

Sydney checked her watch and sighed, "I have to go. I promised Will and Francie that we'd have lunch together and I'm running late already."

"Then I guess I'll see you later." 

They both turned to look at each other and their eyes locked for a brief moment.

"I'll see you later, Michael." Sydney said before walking away.

Vaughn stood there, just watching her go. As much as he wanted to talk to her all day long, he knew he couldn't, especially when they were in public like this. It was way too risky.

**********

"So, how was Miami?" Will Tippin asked Sydney.

She just shrugged and smiled, "You know, boring."

Francie turned to look at her best friend, "I swear, Sydney, they make you work too hard. You should quit."

"I really whish I could, but my job's very important." She explained and the truth was, it really was very important. She was working with the CIA to destroy SD-6, but she couldn't exactly tell her friends that.

Suddenly, her beep went off: it was Sloane. She sighed and got up from the table.

"I have to go… it's the bank again." She apologized.

"But we haven't even finished eating." Will complained like a four year old.

Sydney tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Look, I promise I'll make it up to you guys, ok? I really have to go. It's an emergency."

That said, she walked away and left the house.

**********

"Sydney, the file you retrieved from Madrid a couple of days ago contains very important intel." Sloane began.

They were, once again, in the room where they always met. Sydney glanced around and saw that her father, Jack Bristow, was sitting in front of her. Next to her was Dixon, who was very focused on whatever Sloane was saying and next to her father was Marshall.

"It is crucial to the very existence of SD-6." He continued, "The people listed here are a powerful threat to SD-6 and therefore, to our country. These people have information that could be used to destroy us."

Sydney looked at her father quickly and immediately saw his disapproving look. She silently cursed herself for being so reckless. 

"The first name here is François Lacroisse. He runs an airplane company in Paris. According to this file, he has a disc in his power, which contains a list of our agents in Europe. Needless to say, we need this disc. It could be used to blackmail us, to blackmail this country." He finished his little speech.

"When do we leave?" Dixon was eager to leave for the mission.

Sloane got up and started pacing, "Your plane leaves in eight hours. You're going as Peter Brugmann and Jenna Schmidt. You'll be representing an insurance company. Now, Marshall will give you the details of this assignment."

Marshall got up and smiled at everyone, "Hello, how's everyone doing today? I'm fine. Well, actually I'm feeling kinda dizzy, I think it's probably a cold or something like that." He stopped after glancing at Sloane. "Yeah, uhm, well, you'll be going with the usual, but you'll be also going with this…" he showed a small black device, "This, will destroy the hard disc after you take the disc you need, miss Bristow, because we don't know if there are any copies of the disc there. There won't be much security, so hopefully everything will go according to the plan, but, in case something does happen and there are many security guards… this," He showed a cigarette proudly, "this will put them all to sleep for thirty minutes or so. You just have to press here… and there you go. Of course you'll have to take this pill first so you won't fall asleep too 'cause that wouldn't be good for the mission… that happened to me while I was working yesterday and when I fell asleep I hit my head pretty bad…"

"Thank you, Marshall. That's all. Good luck in Paris." Sloane said and stood up to leave the room.

**********

Sydney was home getting ready for her trip and waiting for Vaughn's call. She had to tell him what Sloane had said about the names. 

"Hey." Francie greeted her, "Another trip?"

Sydney just nodded her head, "Yeah."

"Where are they sending you now?" She asked looking at the small bag Sydney was carrying.

"Chicago." She lied, "We have an important client there."

She was saved by the phone ringing.

"I need to buy some things before I leave, do you want anything?" She asked, grabbing her purse and keys.

Francie shook her head.

Sydney answered the phone and couldn't help smiling at the sound of his voice.

"Joey's pizza?"

"Wrong number."

**********

When Sydney reached the warehouse, Vaughn was already there. She could see his shadow. He turned around and smiled at her.

"Hey."

She returned the smile, "Hey."

"So," she started, "Sloane told us why he wanted the file so badly. As it turns out to be, the names listed there are people who have very important intel that could destroy SD-6, according to Sloane." She explained.

Vaughn smiled, "Our people figured that out, too, this morning. I was going to tell you that, but you already know. Now, remember we switched files and I gave you a bogus one? Well, we'll send agents to retrieve the real intel and we'll give you bogus intel. Sloane won't be able to know the difference, since the information we'll give him will be very similar. However, there are some names that we didn't change. One of those is Fraçois Lacroisse."

"So, I'll be actually going to retrieve the real intel Sloane wants?" Syd asked.

"Yes. I'll be waiting for you at the airport when you come back and we'll make a bogus disc, which you'll give Sloane." He explained.

They both fell silent and remained like that for a couple of minutes, just thinking about the possibilities that they'd have if they could bring down SD-6.

"So," Vaughn broke the comfortable silence, "who's Will?"

Sydney couldn't help smiling. Was he jealous?

"Will?"

"Yeah, uhm, you mentioned earlier that you were having lunch with Francie and Will." He explained, trying hard to sound casual.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Yeah, he's a good friend. I met him a couple of years ago. He's a reporter."

"Oh." Vaughn managed to say. 

Silence filled the warehouse once again, but this time it was an uncomfortable silence and the air started to feel extremely heavy.

"Well, I guess I should go." Sydney turned around to leave, but was stopped by Vaughn's hands. 

Sydney couldn't help turning to look at him and for a moment, she got lost in his emerald eyes.

"I know I say this a lot, but… just be careful out there." He said tenderly, without breaking eye contact with her.

She only nodded.

"I'll see you when you come back." He told her and let go of her.

She smiled reassuringly, "I'll see you when I come back."

**********

Author's note: So, what did you guys think? You know, for some reason I can't help writing these scenes between Vaughn and Sydney. I swear, it's like the characters are alive or something. LOL. Oh, BTW, Twinnie, I'm assuming that Sydney's childhood crush for Vaughn is more than just a crush, that's why I've included so many flashback in this story. She loved him when they were little and now these feelings are starting to reappear again.

Anyway, now that my writer's block is gone (or at least I hope so), I'll be posting more frequently now. Thank you for sticking with me and don't forget to review. Your comments are very helpful because they allow me to improve this story and they also encourage me to write faster.

Lorena


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